Patient riser

ABSTRACT

Support means for use in combination with a generally horizontally disposed seating surface for supporting persons while in a sitting position, such as a chair, bed, hospital bed, chaise lounge or the like. The support means comprises a pair of generally vertically disposed, preferably adjustable posts, adapted to extend from the floor to the support surface, these posts each having a lateral side wall secured thereto and extending rearwardly therefrom and adapted to flank a person sitting on the support surface. The lateral side walls are each provided with a base rail portion which is adapted to engage the support surface, along with a riser rail coupled to the top of the lateral side wall and adapted to be engaged by a person sitting on said support surface for assistance in rising. The post support means connected rigidly together below the lateral side walls to hold them rigid in the absence of a rigid rear wall, or a rigid rear wall means is coupled across the rear of the lateral side walls, and is adapted to be disposed in back of a person resting on the support surface. Preferably, the rigid rear wall means is provided with a base rail portion for engaging the support surface.

United States Patent Bratton 1 June 13, 1972 Francis H. Bratton, Avon,Conn.

Primary Examiner- Bobby R.'Gay Assistant ExaminerAndrew M. CalvertAttorney-Orrin M. Haugen [57] ABSTRACT Support means for use incombination with a generally horizontally disposed seating surface forsupporting persons while in a sitting position, such as a chair, bed,hospital bed, chaise lounge or the like. The support means comprises apair of generally vertically disposed, preferably adjustable posts,

- adapted to extend from the floor to the support surface, these postseach having a lateral side wall secured thereto and extending rearwardlytherefrom and adapted to flank a person sitting on the support surface.The lateral side walls are each provided with a base rail portion whichis adapted to engage the support surface, along with a riser railcoupled to the top of the lateral side wall and adapted to be engaged bya person sitting on said support surface for assistance in rising. Thepost support means connected rigidly together below the lateral sidewalls to hold them rigid in the absence of a rigid rear wall, or a rigidrear wall means is coupled across the rear of the lateral side walls,and is adapted to be disposed in back of a person resting on the supportsurface. Preferably, the rigid rear wall means is provided with a baserail portion for engaging the support surface.

9 Clains, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUH 13 I972 3.668 723 INVENTOR.

Fr'ancisH Bmtton PATIENT RISER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The presentinvention relates generally to apparatus for assisting individuals inrising from a seated position on a normal seating surface such as achair, bed, hospital bed, chaise lounge, or the like. The apparatus isparticularly adapted for use with aged or infirm persons who may requirelateral support to assist themselves in arising from a seated position.The device includes a pair of support posts along with a pair of lateralside walls, the side walls being supported on the seating surface, andhaving riser rails coupled to the top of each .of the lateral sidewalls. While in a seated position, a person such asa patient or thelike, may grip or grasp the riser rails and thereby use his arms toenable him to rise from a seated position. The apparatus is particularlydesirable for use by persons who are generally ambulatory, but who wouldotherwise require personal assistance in rising from a seated position.

In the past, various riser devices, or patient assist devices have beenproposed which enable a patient to arise upon grasping or pulling" fromthe seated position. These devices, while generally satisfactory, sufferfrom certain disadvantages in requiring a rather steady sense of balancefor the individual using the structure. The present apparatus permitspersons to arise from aseated position by utilizing the force availablein his arms for pushing himself from the seated position to an erectposition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore a principal object of thepresent invention to provide an improved riser device for use by aged orinfirm persons, for assisting the individual in arising from a seatedposition.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide animproved riser device wherein the user utilizesa pushing force in hisarms to assist himself in rising from a seated position.

.It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide animproved riser device which is collapsible, and which is capable ofbeing readily cleaned.

Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparentto those skilled in the art upon a study of the following specification,appended claims, and accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of apatient riser device fabricated in accordance with the presentinvention, and showing the device in position on an elevated bedsurface;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and illustratinga patient using the structure in such a way that his arms assist him inpushing himself to a standing position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, partiallyexploded, and showing the foot support or step surface in partiallycollapsed or folded disposition;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the structureshown in FIG. I, andillustrating the manner in which the back wall may be detached andfolded away from the remainingcomponents of the structure;

FIG. 5 is a detail elevation view, partially broken away, andillustrating the details of the latch and hinge means utilized forsecuring the back wall to the pair of lateral side walls, FIG. 5 beingtaken along the line and in the direction of the arrows 5-5 of FIG. 4;and

FIG. 6 is a partial isometric view of the lower portion of thestructure, and illustrating a pair of support steps which may beutilized by the user to descend from an elevated support surface such asa hospital bed or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In accordance with the preferredembodiment of the present invention, particularly as is illustrated in'FIGS. 1-6,

the patient riser structure generally designated 10 is shown inoperative disposition on the seating support surface of bed 11. It willbe appreciated that the use of the term seating surface" is in a generalsense, since such surfaces are generally available on chairs, beds,hospital beds, chaise lounges and the like. Because of the nature of thedevice, however, it will most frequently be utilized in combination witha normal bed, or a hospital bed.

The patient riser structure generally designated 10 includes a pair ofgenerally vertically disposed support posts 12 and 13, these posts beingarranged to'extend from the surface of the floor such as at 14, to theupper surface'of the bed lIJA pair of lateral side walls 16 and 17 arecoupled to the support posts 12 and 13, these lateral side wallsextending rearwardly from the posts 12 and I3 and being adapted to flanka person sitting on the surface of the bed 11. The walls 16 and I7 ereeach provided with a base rail portion such as the base rail portions 18and 19 respectively, these base rail portions being adapted to engagethe seating surface, such as the top of bed 11. This provides forstability in the structure, particularly during the time that a patientwould be urging himself upwardly from a sitting position. The lateralside wallsl6 and 17 are also provided with a pair of riser rails, suchas the riser rails 20 and 21, these riser rails being adapted to beengaged by a person sitting on the support surface. With'attention beingdirected to FIG. 2, it will be observed that the patient shown in FIG. 2is utilizing the top surface of the riser rails for forcing himselfupwardly from a seated position.

A rigid rear wall extends between the side walls and is shown at 23,this wall being adapted to be disposed in back of a person sitting onthe support surface. Preferably, the back wall has a base rail portionsuch as the base rail portion 24 which is adapted to engage the supportsurface and provide for additional stability during use. 1 i

In order to provide for collapsing the structure when desired, thelateral side walls may be coupled to the support posts by any suitablemeans, such as by the telescoping coupling arrangements shown generallyat'30 and 31. F urthermore, the rear wall may be attached to one of theside walls, such as the side wall 16 by means of the pivotal hingearrangement such as is shown at 32, along with the locking haspstructure shown at 33. Thus, by releasing the hasp 33, and collapsingthe rear wall 23 against the lateral side wall 16, the

. components can be easily stowed away when not required for constantuse.

It is observed that the structure shown in FIGS. l-6 includes a supportstep 35, the support step 35 being pivotally secured across the posts 12and 13 by means of suitable pivots as at 36 and 37. Also, if required, asupport rod may be provided as at 38, along with a stabilizing rod 39.Posts 40 and 4i are utilized to provide stability for the step 35 byengaging the floor surface and thereby rigidly supporting the surface ofstep 35.

While the step structure has been illustrated herein, it will be fullyappreciated that in a substantial number of instances, the use of a stepwill not be required, and that such a structure willnormally only berequired where the seating surface is disposed at an unusually highelevation.

While the arrangement including the rigid rear wall 23 may be used, ithas also been found that its presence is not required when rigidconnection means such as is provided in the lateral connection bars 42,43 and 44 between the vertical posts in present. This arrangement isillustrated in detail in FIG. 6 of the drawing.

Similarly, when a rigid arrangement of the rear wall 23 is 1 provided,the lateral connection bars 42, 43and 44 are not needed and the verticalsupport posts 12 and 13, as illustrated in FIG. 6, may be used.

Also, FIG. 6 illustrates a pair of steps 45-45 which may be used toallow the patient to rise with'both feet supported and then to step tofloor level while being supported by the patient riser.

A further feature of the concept of the present invention is the use ofsupport posts which are arranged to be adjustable in length. While inactual operation, it is generally preferred that the posts be somewhatshorter than the distance between the floor and the support, so as toprovide for maximum stability when the user is applying the greatestamount of force on the riser rails. The telescoping feature will, ofcourse, provide for the use of the structure in combination with seatingsurfaces at a variety of elevations from the floor.

The structure of the present invention permits the use by the patient orother user while in extremely close proximity. It is not necessary forthe individual to seek or obtain assistance from others in havingobjects rolled up to the edge of the bed, or otherwise moved into range,since this unit is moved and set into place at a single point orlocation. The mattress of a bed,

or the support seat of a chair will provide for substantial support ofthe unit and will enhance the stabilityof the structure while in actualuse.

It will be appreciated that the apparatus of the present invention maybe fabricated from a variety of materials of construction, such as, forexample, round or square section tubing, wood, or the like. Because ofthe quality of wood as a gripping material, such a material ofconstruction would normally be preferred for the riser rails, while theremaining portions of the structure could be fabricated from the mostconvenient and economical materials of construction. Also, the lateralside walls may be made of solid construction, such as a foam-rigid skinlaminate, a solid piece of wood, two formed polypropylene sections heatsealed at the edges, and the like. If desired, the side rail may be madeadjustable in height to accommodate personal preference or capability ofthe patient, and the distance between sides could also be madeadjustable. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the means forcoupling the rear wall to the lateral side walls is illustrative only,and a variety of other schemes may be utilized for giving the stablesupport which is required in this type of structure, including, forexample, external clamping arrangements and the like.

I claim:

1. Support means for use in combination with a generally horizontallydisposed seating surface for supporting persons while. in a sittingposition and comprising:

'a. a pair of generally vertically disposed support posts adapted toextend from the floor to the support surface;

b. a pair of generally horizontally disposed lateral side wallstelescopically secured to said support posts and extending rearwardlytherefrom, said side walls being adapted to flank a person sitting onsaid support surface and having a base rail portion adapted to engagesaid support surface;

c. a pair of riser rails coupled to the top of said lateral side wallsand adapted to be engaged by a person sitting on said support surface;and

d. a rigid connection means extending between and coupled to saidvertically disposed support posts and adapted to provide stability tothe lateral side walls.

2. The support means as defined in claim 1 being particularlycharacterized in that said vertically disposed support posts arearranged to be adjustable in axial length.

3. The support means as defined in claim 1 beingparticularly'characterized in that step means for supporting the userare provided at a point elevated from the base of said support v posts.

while in a sitting position and comprising:

a. a pair of generally vertically disposed support posts adapted toextend from the fioor to the support surface;

b. a pair of generally horizontally disposed lateral side wallstelescopically secured to said support posts and extending rearwardlytherefrom, said side walls being adapted to flank a person sitting onsaid support surface and having a base railfportion adapted to engagesaid support surface; c. a pair 0 riser rails coupled to the top of saidlateral side walls and adapted to be engaged by a person sitting on saidsupport surface; and

d. a rigid rear wall means extending between and being coupled to saidside walls and adapted to be disposed in back of a person sitting onsaid support surface.

6. The support means as defined in claim 5 being particularlycharacterized in that said rear wall has a base rail portion adapted toengage said support surface.

7. The support means as defined in claim 6 being particularlycharacterized in that said step means is pivotally coupled to saidsupport posts at a point adjacent the rear of said step means.

8. The support means as defined in claim 5 being particularlycharacterized in that a rigid coupling means is extended between and iscoupled to said vertically disposed support posts and adapted to providestability to the lateral side walls.

9. The support means as defined in claim 5 being particularlycharacterized in that individual step means are provided for both feetof the user by rigid attachment to the generally vertically disposedsupport posts, the step means being provided with a support means toengage the floor surface at areas in front of the support posts.

1. Support means for use in combination with a generally horizontallydisposed seating surface for supporting persOns while in a sittingposition and comprising: a. a pair of generally vertically disposedsupport posts adapted to extend from the floor to the support surface;b. a pair of generally horizontally disposed lateral side wallstelescopically secured to said support posts and extending rearwardlytherefrom, said side walls being adapted to flank a person sitting onsaid support surface and having a base rail portion adapted to engagesaid support surface; c. a pair of riser rails coupled to the top ofsaid lateral side walls and adapted to be engaged by a person sitting onsaid support surface; and d. a rigid connection means extending betweenand coupled to said vertically disposed support posts and adapted toprovide stability to the lateral side walls.
 2. The support means asdefined in claim 1 being particularly characterized in that saidvertically disposed support posts are arranged to be adjustable in axiallength.
 3. The support means as defined in claim 1 being particularlycharacterized in that step means for supporting the user are provided ata point elevated from the base of said support posts.
 4. The supportmeans as defined in claim 2 being particularly characterized in thatsaid support posts have an axial length which is less than the distancebetween the floor and the seating surface.
 5. Support means for use incombination with a generally horizontally disposed seating surface forsupporting persons while in a sitting position and comprising: a. a pairof generally vertically disposed support posts adapted to extend fromthe floor to the support surface; b. a pair of generally horizontallydisposed lateral side walls telescopically secured to said support postsand extending rearwardly therefrom, said side walls being adapted toflank a person sitting on said support surface and having a base railportion adapted to engage said support surface; c. a pair of riser railscoupled to the top of said lateral side walls and adapted to be engagedby a person sitting on said support surface; and d. a rigid rear wallmeans extending between and being coupled to said side walls and adaptedto be disposed in back of a person sitting on said support surface. 6.The support means as defined in claim 5 being particularly characterizedin that said rear wall has a base rail portion adapted to engage saidsupport surface.
 7. The support means as defined in claim 6 beingparticularly characterized in that said step means is pivotally coupledto said support posts at a point adjacent the rear of said step means.8. The support means as defined in claim 5 being particularlycharacterized in that a rigid coupling means is extended between and iscoupled to said vertically disposed support posts and adapted to providestability to the lateral side walls.
 9. The support means as defined inclaim 5 being particularly characterized in that individual step meansare provided for both feet of the user by rigid attachment to thegenerally vertically disposed support posts, the step means beingprovided with a support means to engage the floor surface at areas infront of the support posts.